Σοφονίας 1

1 λόγος κυρίου ὃς ἐγενήθη πρὸς Σοφονιαν τὸν τοῦ Χουσι υἱὸν Γοδολιου τοῦ Αμαριου τοῦ Εζεκιου ἐν ἡμέραις Ιωσιου υἱοῦ Αμων βασιλέως Ιουδα

[I am] Zephaniah, the son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the great-grandson of Amariah, whose father was [King] Hezekiah. Yahweh gave this message to me during the time when [King] Amon’s son Josiah was the King of Judah.

2 ἐκλείψει ἐκλιπέτω πάντα ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς λέγει κύριος

Yahweh says, “I will (sweep away/destroy) everything [HYP] that is on the earth.

3 ἐκλιπέτω ἄνθρωπος καὶ κτήνη ἐκλιπέτω τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐξαρῶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς λέγει κύριος

I will sweep away people and animals. I will sweep away birds and fish. I will get rid of wicked people; there will be no more [wicked] [HYP] people on the earth.”

4 καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ Ιουδαν καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἐξαρῶ ἐκ τοῦ τόπου τούτου τὰ ὀνόματα τῆς Βααλ καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν ἱερέων

“[These are some of the things that I will do]: I will punish the people who live in Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah. I will destroy everything that has been used in the worship of Baal. I will cause [people] to no longer remember the names of the pagan priests or the [other] priests [who have turned away from me].

5 καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ἐπὶ τὰ δώματα τῇ στρατιᾷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοὺς ὀμνύοντας κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τοὺς ὀμνύοντας κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν

[I will get rid of] those who go up on the roofs [of their houses] and worship the sun and moon and stars, those who claim that they worship me but [also] worship [their god] Molech.

6 καὶ τοὺς ἐκκλίνοντας ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ τοὺς μὴ ζητήσαντας τὸν κύριον καὶ τοὺς μὴ ἀντεχομένους τοῦ κυρίου

I will get rid of all those who previously worshiped me but no longer do, those who no [longer] seek my [help or ask me to tell them what they should do.”]

7 εὐλαβεῖσθε ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ διότι ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου ὅτι ἡτοίμακεν κύριος τὴν θυσίαν αὐτοῦ ἡγίακεν τοὺς κλητοὺς αὐτοῦ

Be silent in front of Yahweh the Lord, because it will soon be the time/day when Yahweh [will judge and punish people]. Yahweh has prepared to get rid of [the people of Judah]; they will be like [MET] animals that are slaughtered for sacrifices, and he has chosen [their enemies] to be the ones who will get rid of them.

8 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θυσίας κυρίου καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐνδεδυμένους ἐνδύματα ἀλλότρια

Yahweh says, “On that day when I will get rid of [the people of Judah], [I will punish] their officials and the king’s sons, and [I will punish] all those who worship foreign gods [MTY].

9 καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ πάντας ἐμφανῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πρόπυλα ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοὺς πληροῦντας τὸν οἶκον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν ἀσεβείας καὶ δόλου

I will punish those who [show that they revere their god Dagan] by avoiding stepping on the threshold [of his temple], and those who do violent things and tell lies in the temples of their gods.”

10 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ λέγει κύριος φωνὴ κραυγῆς ἀπὸ πύλης ἀποκεντούντων καὶ ὀλολυγμὸς ἀπὸ τῆς δευτέρας καὶ συντριμμὸς μέγας ἀπὸ τῶν βουνῶν

Yahweh [also] says, “On that day, people will cry [out] at the Fish Gate [of Jerusalem]. People will wail in the newer part of the city, and [people will hear] a loud crash [of buildings collapsing] in the hills.

11 θρηνήσατε οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν κατακεκομμένην ὅτι ὡμοιώθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς Χανααν ἐξωλεθρεύθησαν πάντες οἱ ἐπηρμένοι ἀργυρίῳ

[So, all you] people who live in the market area [of Jerusalem] should wail, because all those who sell goods and weigh out silver will be slaughtered.

12 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐξερευνήσω τὴν Ιερουσαλημ μετὰ λύχνου καὶ ἐκδικήσω ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς καταφρονοῦντας ἐπὶ τὰ φυλάγματα αὐτῶν οἱ λέγοντες ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ ἀγαθοποιήσῃ κύριος οὐδ’ οὐ μὴ κακώσῃ

[It will be as though] I will light lanterns to search in [dark places in] Jerusalem for those who have become very satisfied with their behavior and complacent [about their sins]. They think that [I], Yahweh, will do nothing to them, neither good things nor bad things.

13 καὶ ἔσται ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν εἰς διαρπαγὴν καὶ οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν εἰς ἀφανισμόν καὶ οἰκοδομήσουσιν οἰκίας καὶ οὐ μὴ κατοικήσουσιν ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ καταφυτεύσουσιν ἀμπελῶνας καὶ οὐ μὴ πίωσιν τὸν οἶνον αὐτῶν

[But I say that] their valuable possessions will be plundered/stolen [by their enemies], and their houses will be destroyed. They will build [new] homes, but they will not live in them; they will plant vineyards, but they will never drink [any] wine [made from grapes that grow there].”

14 ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα κυρίου ἡ μεγάλη ἐγγὺς καὶ ταχεῖα σφόδρα φωνὴ ἡμέρας κυρίου πικρὰ καὶ σκληρά τέτακται δυνατή

It will soon be the day/time when Yahweh [will punish people]. It will be here quickly. It will be a time [when people cry] bitterly, a time when [even] brave soldiers will cry loudly.

15 ἡμέρα ὀργῆς ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη ἡμέρα θλίψεως καὶ ἀνάγκης ἡμέρα ἀωρίας καὶ ἀφανισμοῦ ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου ἡμέρα νεφέλης καὶ ὁμίχλης

It will be a time when [God shows that he is] very angry, a time when [people experience much] distress/suffering and trouble. [It will be] a time [when many things are] ruined and destroyed [DOU]. It will be a time when it is very gloomy and dark [DOU], when the clouds are very black.

16 ἡμέρα σάλπιγγος καὶ κραυγῆς ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τὰς ὀχυρὰς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς γωνίας τὰς ὑψηλάς

It will be a time when [soldiers] will blow trumpets [to call other soldiers] to battle. [Your enemies] will tear down the walls around your cities and the high towers [at the corners of those walls].

17 καὶ ἐκθλίψω τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ πορεύσονται ὡς τυφλοί ὅτι τῷ κυρίῳ ἐξήμαρτον καὶ ἐκχεεῖ τὸ αἷμα αὐτῶν ὡς χοῦν καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν ὡς βόλβιτα

Because you sinned against Yahweh, he will cause you to experience great distress; you will walk [around groping] like [SIM] blind people do. Your blood will flow [from your bodies] like [SIM] water, and your corpses will lie on the ground and rot [SIM].

18 καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ χρυσίον αὐτῶν οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἐξελέσθαι αὐτοὺς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς κυρίου καὶ ἐν πυρὶ ζήλους αὐτοῦ καταναλωθήσεται πᾶσα ἡ γῆ διότι συντέλειαν καὶ σπουδὴν ποιήσει ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν γῆν

At the time that [Yahweh shows that he] is very angry [with you], you will not be able to save yourselves by [giving] silver or gold [to your enemies]. Because Yahweh (is very jealous/does not want people to worship any other god), he will send a fire to burn up the entire world, and he will suddenly get rid of all the [wicked] people who live on the earth.